Akademik Veri Yönetim Sistemi
Tourism and Recreation, cilt.6, sa.2, ss.0-1, 2024 (Hakemli Dergi)
In the last 20 years, UNESCO Global Geoparks have become the center of attention due to the development of geotourism worldwide. Geoparks have initiated the GEOfood project to contribute to their promotion, increase the interest of visitors and develop new sustainable strategies for agriculture and local food production. Thanks to this project, geoparks have started to add local gastronomic values to their attractiveness and to market them together with geological attractions. Gastronomy is not only a vital part of cultural heritage, but also an important tourist attraction, contributing significantly to the local economy and sustainability. In this context, geopark websites must be informative not only about geological formations and the geoheritage of the region, but also about the gastronomic characteristics of the region and present this information concerning each other. From this point of view, this study aims to evaluate the current state of gastronomy-related content on the websites of European UNESCO Global Geoparks. When the scientific literature was analysed, it was determined that there is a gap in the subject. The study was designed with a qualitative design and content analysis was carried out on the images and texts published on the websites of 21 European geoparks as a sample. As a sampling method, deliberate sampling method was preferred and GEOfood partner geoparks in Europe were included. In the study, it was concluded that the gastronomy-related content of geoparks is not very rich and needs to be developed. Since gastronomy provides important contributions to the preservation, survival and exhibition of local cultures, it is concluded that it would be beneficial for the development of geotourism for European UNESCO Global Geoparks to consider cultural and especially gastronomic heritage as an attraction as well as natural beauties. In the conclusion part of the study, the outputs for academic circles, geopark managers, local policy makers and tourism professionals are discussed and finally, suggestions for future research are presented.